Abstract The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt (GVB) in southwestern British Columbia is dominated by intermediate composition volcanoes in a setting that has been intermittently subjected to widespread glaciation. The glaciovolcanic features produced are distinctive, and include flow-dominated tuyas, subglacial domes, and ice-marginal flows. Flow-dominated tuyas, which are intermediate in composition, are unlike conventional basaltic tuyas; they consist of stacks of flat-lying lava flows, and lack pillows and hyaloclastite. They are inferred to represent subglacial eruptions that ultimately breached the ice surface. subglacial domes occur as steep-sided masses of heavily-jointed, glassy lava, and represent eruptions that were entirely subglacial. Ice-marginal flows derive from subaerial flows that were impounded against ice. Two unique aspects of GVB glaciovolcanic products are the presence of flow-dominated tuyas and the apparent scarcity of primary fragmental deposits. These unique features result from lava composition, the minimization of direct lava-water contact during eruptions, and topography. Composition influences morphology because eruption temperature decreases, and viscosity and glass transition temperature both increase with silica content. The result of this is that silicic subglacial volcanoes melt less water and are less likely to trap it near the vent, leading to the formation of structures whose shapes are strongly influenced by the surrounding ice. Topography also enhances meltwater drainage, favours lava flow impoundment in ice-filled valleys, and may, through erosion, influence the observed distribution of fragmental glaciovolcanic deposits.

ABSTRACT Volcanoes that interact with the cryosphere preserve indicators of their eruption environments. These glaciovolcanoes and their deposits have powerful potential as proxies of local and global paleoclimates. The Garibaldi volcanic belt is the northern (Canadian) segment of the Cascade volcanic arc. In this study, we compiled a comprehensive database of Quaternary volcanic landforms and deposits in the Garibaldi volcanic belt. We found that the region exhibits a high degree of volcanic diversity, and a significant component of this diversity is due to the abundance of glaciovolcanoes. These include: tuyas, tindars, subglacial tephra cones, ice-impounded lavas, subglacial domes and breccias, subglacial lava flows, and lava-dominated tuyas. As a group, they inform the presence, thickness, and transient properties of ancient, continental-scale ice sheets (i.e., the Cordilleran ice sheet) that have waxed and waned in thickness and extent across the region. We ascribe much of the character of glaciovolcanism in the Garibaldi volcanic belt to a wide range of magma compositions (alkaline basalt to rhyolite) and to the extreme relief of the landscape. We used forensic volcanologic evidence, in conjunction with our database, to define a terrestrial-based reconstruction of ice-sheet thickness and extent that spans the latter half of the Quaternary (i.e., past ~1 m.y.). We then compared our reconstruction to the marine isotope stage (MIS) record and found a number of positive correlations and discordances. We show glaciovolcanoes to be an excellent, and underutilized, proxy for Earth’s paleoclimate, and a powerful tool for reconstructing ice sheets predating the last glaciation.

Abstract This field guide examines Quaternary volcanism in the Canadian Cascade arc informally known as the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt. During the first day, the trip proceeds along the Sea-to-Sky Highway corridor from Vancouver to Pemberton and focuses on Quaternary glaciovolcanic deposits and lavas. Interactions between volcanoes and ice in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt have been common during the past two million years, which has resulted in a diverse array of landforms, including subglacial domes, tuyas, impounded lava masses, and sinuous lavas that exploited within-ice drainage systems. On Days 2 and 3, the trip heads northwest of Pemberton, British Columbia, along logging roads to see deposits from the 2360 yr B.P. eruption of the Mount Meager volcanic complex. The eruption began Plinian-style, generating pyroclastic fall and density current deposits (Day 2) and ended with the production of welded and nonwelded block and ash flows by explosive (Vulcanian) collapse of a lava (Day 3). The guide will examine the deposits of the temporary lake impounded by a block and ash flow deposit dam, and the evidence of the catastrophic failure of the dam and the generation of a huge outburst flood and lahar. Many of the traits of the deposits seen on this three-day trip are a reflection of both the style of eruption and the nature of the surrounding landscape. In this regard, the trip provides a spectacular window into the nature and hazards of effusive and explosive volcanism occurring in mountainous terrains and the role of water and ice.

Abstract Here we describe a two-day field trip to examine Quaternary volcanism in the Canadian Cascade arc, named the Garibaldi volcanic belt. Day 1 of the trip proceeds along the Whistler corridor from Squamish to Pemberton and focuses on Quaternary glaciovolcanic deposits. Interactions between volcanoes and ice in the Garibaldi volcanic belt have been common during the past two million years and this has resulted in a diverse array of landforms, including subglacial domes, tuyas, impounded lava masses, and sinuous lavas that exploited within-ice drainage systems. On Day 2, the trip heads northwest of Pemberton, British Columbia, along logging roads to see deposits from the 2360 yr B.P. eruption of the Mount Meager volcanic complex. This eruption began Plinian-style, generating pyroclastic fall and flow deposits and ended with the production of block and ash pyroclastic flows by explosive (Vulcanian) collapse of lava domes (e.g., Soufriére Hills). Many of the traits of the deposits seen on this two day trip are a reflection of, both, the style of eruption and the nature of the surrounding landscape. In this regard, the trip provides a spectacular window into the nature and hazards of effusive and explosive volcanism occurring in mountainous terrains and the role of water and ice.